GCU looking to build on its breakthrough season
Grand Canyon broke through to the other side, to March Madness. And even though it was a one-and-done, it’s time for coach Bryce Drew to build off of the Indianapolis bubble experience.
Where do the Antelopes go from here? Where does recruiting now take
Drew? What will it be like in a new and improved Western Athletic Conference, where the goal is get more than one automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament.
He’s got some rebuilding to do with his basketball team.
Gone will be 7-foot center Asbjorn Midtgaard (the team’s leading scorer and rebounder), 6-10 four-year starter Ales
sandro Lever, 6-6 wing Oscar Frayer and shooting guard Mikey Dixon. All four started on this year’s historic 17-7 team that won its first WAC championship.
Back is sophomore point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., the Most Valuable Player of the WAC Tournament.
Key reserves Gabe McGlothan, Chance McMillian and Sean MillerMoore should play larger roles, along with freshmen guards Jayden Stone and Liam Lloyd. Rashad Smith could also be part of the rotation.
Drew will conduct end-of-season interviews with his players later this week. There is always the possibility of a player or two entering the transfer portal.
GCU signed high-scoring guard Jalen Blackmon, a four-star recruit by ESPN from Marion High in Indiana in November. Isaiah Shaw, a 6-6 wing who played at PHHoenix Prep his senior season, will join the team as a walk-on. He is the son of GCU assistant coach Casey Shaw.
Drew made big strides in his first year in Phoenix, from assembling a great staff to finding a big gem in Midtgaard to getting through a couple of long layoffs during the season due to COVID-19 issues.
But in the three games preceding Iowa, the Lopes played their best basketball, with Blacksher in total command and the players helping each other on defense to make critical stops, which helped extend big runs to put away Utah Valley, Seattle and New Mexico State.
“Hopefully, we can use this as momentum to keep building in the future,” Drew said after losing to Iowa. “I love this program.”
To win the WAC again, it’s going to get tougher.
The five future WAC schools went a combined 88-41 this season with 18 of those losses coming from Lamar.
Abilene Christian won its first-round NCAA Tournament team, before losing to UCLA
Southern Utah won the Big Sky, but it will be the only one of the five that will start playing in the WAC beginning the 2022-23 school year.
Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F Austin begins play in the WAC next school year.
“It will be a good mid-major conference with what we have coming in,” GCU President Brian Mueller said. “We have to get a better seeding and get more teams in.”
GCU was a 15 seed in the West Region, paired up against No. 2 Iowa.
Abilene Christian, the Southland champion, was a 14 seed that knocked off No. 3 Texas 53-52 in the first round.
“In basketball, you know that one or two players makes a huge difference,” Mueller said. “You have to be relentless in recruiting.”
Drew showed his recruiting skills at Vanderbilt, where he brought in fivestars Darius Garland and Simi Shittu, and got former Tempe Corona del Sol guard Saben Lee to come to Nashville.
Drew also signed Aaron Nesmith out of the 2018 class. Garland, Lee and Nesmith are all in the NBA now.
Drew will make frontcourt players a recruiting priority in the spring and summer. He’ll be able to sign three players in the spring.
“Right now, guys returning will focus on improving in the offeseason,” Drew said. “We’ll fill the roster and get better in the summer.”
Getting to March Madness, seeing the energy surrounding the program with the Havocs, Drew, calling GCU the “best-kept secret in college basketball,” hopes to attract more top recruits while competing with Power 5 schools.
He’ll use the Havocs as part of his recruiting sales pitch. He was awed by a student section of 200 to 300 during a crowd-restrict COVID season. Wait until he sees what it feels like with about 3,000 Havocs at games next season.
“I’m from Indiana, so basketball is tops here,” Drew said on Selection Sunday. “High school games draw 5,000. I’ve been around. I played at Kansas, at Duke. All the different places. I would think we’re the best-kept secret in the country with the Havocs (students).
“After you see the Havocs at a basketball game, I don’t think you’ll go to any other venue the rest of your life and not go back and think about that time in the gym and the energy that they bring. It’s super fun to be part of. And to know they’re cheering for you makes it even better.”